Chapter 334: Accident (4)

Chapter 334: Accident (4)

Next morning...

Bang!

Bang Jin-Hun roughly slammed shut the driver's side door. As this was a brand-new car, he had been extra careful with how he handled it. But that was yesterday's story. Right now he didn't have the mental leeway to sweat over a trifling matter like that.

While walking toward the reception with a nervous expression, Bang Jin-Hun switched his phone on. “I've arrived at your company's first floor, Chief Jo. What was your floor again?”

-The top floor, Mister Bang. I've already sent word to the security office, so they should let you through immediately if you give them your name.

“Got it.” Bang Jin-Hun abruptly ended the call, then headed straight to the elevator. The front entrance only allowed in those people who swiped their employee card first, but Bang Jin-Hun was let through without much trouble after he said his name to the security guard nearby.

Bang Jin-Hun stepped inside the elevator and headed to the top floor. The door opened to reveal Jo Gyu-Min waiting for him with a stiff expression.

Jo Gyu-Min pointed toward his office. “Please, follow me.”

Bang Jin-Hun asked in a hushed whisper. “Still no contact from him?”

“Unfortunately.”

Bang Jin-Hun tightly clenched his fists.

'Goddamn it!'

Unlike normal, powerless people, a martial artist should have recovered from their hangover by now, regardless of how much booze they had consumed the night before. And someone as powerful as Kang Jin-Ho would've returned to normal even if they had taken Class A narcotics, not some common booze.

So, the fact that Kang Jin-Ho hadn't contacted anyone yet... It could only mean there had been some kind of an incident. And, when a man boasting what amounted to 'absolute immunity' against the usual types of accidents was met with an event of suspicious nature... That was basically the same as saying the Yeongnam Group was involved.

'Or, maybe the Japs are responsible.'

Whoever was responsible, though, it didn't change the fact that Kang Jin-Ho must be facing a serious crisis right now. If that wasn't it...

“F*cking hell!” Bang Jin-Hun angrily shook his head. His loud yell caused people walking in the corridors to stop and look at him.

“This way, please.” Jo Gyu-Min hurriedly guided Bang Jin-Hun to his office.

“Okay.” Bang Jin-Hun obediently followed along while trying his hardest to wipe out the rubbish thoughts clouding his mind.

'That dude won't die even if a bazooka hits him.'

Some random bastards hurting Kang Jin-Ho was simply unthinkable to Bang Jin-Hun. Even if the entire Yeongnam Group attacked him, Kang Jin-Ho wouldn't have a problem extracting himself from the ensuing chaos. So, who would even be able to harm someone like that now?

Bang Jin-Hun stepped inside the secretary's office as frustration refused to leave him. He settled down on the couch as instructed by Jo Gyu-Min.

“For the time being...” Jo Gyu-Min settled down on the opposite side, then cautiously spoke up. “I've opened a missing person case with the police.”

“Mm? You think the cops will find Mister Jin-Ho?”

“No, the odds of that happening are poor, but... We need to do everything in our power, wouldn't you say? I can't certainly sit on my hands and do nothing, which must be the same for you, as well.”

“Goddamn it...” Bang Jin-Hun swore again, even though he didn't mean to. “I've let loose a few of my boys as well. I told them to investigate every one of his acquaintances, but... This is like looking for a needle in a haystack, so...”

In all honesty, though... If Kang Jin-Ho was in a situation where he could be found through a search effort like this, he would've contacted them by now.

Jo Gyu-Min continued on. “I've also contacted Mister Jin-Ho's mobile service provider.” Discover new chapters at novelhall.com

“The mobile service provider? Why?”

“It's to locate his phone's whereabouts. We should be able to figure out where he was headed before his phone went off the grid. It's just that...” Jo Gyu-Min muttered in irritation. “The provider insisted that they can't give us the information without a warrant due to the protection of customer privacy or some such!”

“You reported it to the cops, so the warrant should be issued pretty soon, no?”

Jo Gyu-Min shook his head. “...That will take a few days at least.”

“What the f*ck! What bullsh*t is that, when those few days can be the difference in finding the missing person alive or not!”

Jo Gyu-Min sighed at that. Obviously, swearing loudly in the office was wrong, but he fully understood where Bang Jin-Hun was coming from, so he let it slide. If it was possible, Jo Gyu-Min would've flipped several tables by now, too!

“To get that information as soon as possible, Chairman Hwang has already spoken to the service provider's top representative. We should have a result in a couple of hours.”

“...Well, that's a relief.”

“Mister Bang, did you detect any suspicious movements by the Yeongnam Group?”

“...Even though they are supposed to be the servants of the tax-paying people!” Kang Yu-Hwan frowned deeply.

“I think they don't treat young men going missing as a high priority, dad. Did you know how annoyed they sounded on the phone?! I almost shouted at them, you know!”

“I see. So that's what's happening...” Kang Yu-Hwan let out a loud groan.

His son never once made his family worry like this. Kang Jin-Ho was so straight-arrow that this one time, Kang Yu-Hwan seriously advised his son that 'As a man, you must loosen up and drink yourself to a stupor at least once in your life, son! And don't come home for a few days while you're at it, too!' Didn't that earn him several well-placed palm smashes on his back, courtesy of Baek Hyeon-Jeong?

So, a son as upright and incorruptible as Kang Jin-Ho not coming home and not calling anyone was indeed a huge deal.

“...I heard that Yu-Min oppa has contacted Chief Jo. He told me that we shouldn't worry since they'll find my oppa soon enough.”

“Indeed. That sounds about right.” Kang Yu-Hwan forced a smile on his face. “Seeing how our son is making us worried like this, he must be all grown-up now, honey. A man is supposed to experience all sorts of things as he grows older, after all.”

Baek Hyeon-Jeong shot her husband a sharp glare. “How can you say things like that as if it’s someone else’s problem, dear?!”

“...Cough.” Kang Yu-Hwan quickly zipped his lips shut when his wife responded quite poorly to his attempt to lift up the mood. Obviously, he was dying inside of anxiety, too. However, nothing would change just because they waited anxiously like this.

“...Eun-Yeong, can you turn on the TV?” Kang Yu-Hwan glanced at his daughter.

“Yes, Dad.” Kang Eun-Yeong surprisingly didn't throw a sassy remark and obediently did as she was told. She realized that her father's actual intention was to change this gloomy atmosphere, so she decided to comply right away.

“...Mm? What on earth is that?”

The first thing the family saw when the TV came to life was the collapsed tunnel.

“W-why did that thing come down?” Kang Yu-Hwan gasped in flabbergast while staring at the screen.

By a stroke of some luck, the news anchor was talking about the efforts by the authorities to see if anyone was trapped inside the collapsed tunnel.

“I'm telling you, shoddy construction is a big problem in our country,” Kang Yu-Hwan quietly tutted away. Despite experiencing so many incidents involving shoddy construction in the past, such things still happened in Korea. What a tragedy this was.

Baek Hyeon-Jeong narrowed her eyes. “...Where did they say that tunnel is located, honey?”

“Mm? It's quite far from here, honey.”

“Could Jin-Ho be...”

“...Dear, there are some things you shouldn't even dare bring up in the open!” Kang Yu-Hwan suddenly yelled in anger.

Baek Hyeon-Jeong sighed under her breath. “I must be out of my mind, honey. I keep thinking about all kinds of nonsense...”

“Why would Jin-Ho even go through that tunnel! That's in the other direction from our home! Honey, stop wasting your time on useless nonsense.”

“...I will, dear.”

Kang Yu-Hwan groaned at his wife's subdued reply. Unfortunately, the gloomy clouds were rapidly blanketing the atmosphere in the Kang household no matter what he tried to get rid of them.

'Damn it, son. Just where are you?'

Kang Yu-Hwan had to admit that foreboding thoughts were the only things in his head right now.

***

It felt like something was dripping onto her face. It sort of felt like water, but this liquid felt a little thicker, perhaps a little stickier than regular water, somehow.

Choi Yeon-Ha required a lot of time to become more cognizant of this sensation

. And when she slowly opened her eyes...

'...Where am I?'

Her still-dazed mind couldn't readily find a place to settle down. Choi Yeon-Ha remained stupefied and lost even as her eyes remained wide open for a while, only for another droplet to land on her face. That snapped her mind back to reality.

'...Ah!'

She finally remembered. The scenes just before she blacked out began filling up her mind.

The tunnel's ceiling caving in along with explosion noises akin to thunderclaps...! All the soil flooding down from between the cracking ceiling...!

And the final scene she recalled seeing was all that soil raining down on top of her. Choi Yeon-Ha suddenly wondered if she was dead. Such thoughts slipped inside her head so naturally that they didn't even surprise her. However, her suspicions were quickly driven out of her system by various aches and pain shooting up from her body. Her limbs, her waist, her back... It felt like every spot in her body was screaming in pain.

She briefly shook her head to sober up some more, then tried to focus her vision, her brows furrowing a little deeper.

“...Ah!”

And when her eyes, now more used to the darkness, looked up...

Choi Yeon-Ha's brows instantaneously shot up in alarm.